4/19/2009:
A strange sight was seen by motorists outside of Minot on this date in 1916. A dead man was lying beside the road.
Authorities were quickly notified, and soon after, States Attorney O. B. Herigstad and Deputy Coroner A. B. Hill were speeding to the scene in their automobile.
About halfway there, they met up with the corpse in question - he was walking toward town. The man had innocently laid down and fallen asleep, not realizing he gave the impression that he was dead.
While that might seem less than newsworthy, the last line of the article is worth noting. It read: "The man refused to allow the coroner to sit on his body."
Dakota Datebook by Merry Helm
Source: Bismarck Tribune. 19 Apr, 1916:1.